Civil Resettlement Units: Getting in Shape for Civvy Street

Introduction Civil Resettlement Units, or CRUs, was a scheme created during the Second World War by Royal Army Medical Corps psychiatrists to help British Army servicemen who had been prisoners of war (POWs) to return to civilian life, and to help their families and communities to adjust to having them back. Units were set up… Read More

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Who was Carl Hovland?

Introduction Carl Iver Hovland (12 June 1912 to 16 April 1961) was a psychologist working primarily at Yale University and for the US Army during World War II who studied attitude change and persuasion. He first reported the sleeper effect after studying the effects of the Frank Capra’s propaganda film Why We Fight on soldiers… Read More

What is Combat Effectiveness?

Introduction Combat effectiveness is the capacity or performance of a military force to succeed in undertaking an operation, mission or objective. Determining optimal combat effectiveness is crucial in the armed forces, whether they are deployed on land, air or sea. Combat effectiveness is an aspect of military effectiveness and can be attributed to the strength… Read More

A Commander Should…

“A commander should have a profound understanding of human nature, the knack of smoothing out troubles, the power of winning affection while communicating energy, and the capacity for ruthless determination where require by circumstances. He needs to generate an electrifying current, and to keep a cool head in applying it.” Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart… Read More

A Safe Haven to Weakness…

“The loneliness of command can also reveal a more ingrained, deep-rooted weakness in soldiers’ make-up. Psychologists such as Prof. N. Dixon suggest that the military offers a safe haven to individuals prone to anxieties such as fear of failure, need for approval and deafness to unpalatable information. Not until the position of ultimate responsibility is… Read More

Psychologists & the Training of British Army Officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS)

Research Paper Title Here, there and everywhere: psychologists and the training of British Army officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Abstract The Department of Communication and Applied Behavioural Science is one of the three departments in the academic faculty at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The aim of the Department is to equip officer… Read More

US Navy EOD Operators’ use of Psychological Strategies is Comparable to that of Elite Athletes

Research Paper Title Psychological Strategies During Military Training Are Linked to Resilience in US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operators. Background The researchers describe the psychological strategies (PS) used by a specialised military population, US Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), during training and military operations. They also aimed to establish the relationship between PS and resilience.… Read More